CTNF 18/973,764 CTNF 89575 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. 2. This office action is responsive to the application Nº 18/973,764 filed on December 09 th , 2024 in which claims 1-9 are pending and ready for examination. Information Disclosure Statement 3. Acknowledgment is made of Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) form PTO-1449. These IDS have been considered. Priority 02-26 AIA 4. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file. Drawings 5. The examiner contends that the drawings submitted on 12/09/2024 are acceptable for examination proceedings. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 6. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 07-20-aia AIA 7. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 07-21-aia AIA 8. Claim s 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto et al. (US Pub. Nº 2019/0354054), in view of Nakamura (JP 2018-060135) . 9. Regarding independent claim 1: Yamamoto et al. disclosed a recording apparatus ([0025], line 1; also see Fig. 1, reference 10) comprising: a recording unit configured to record an image ([0032], lines 1-2; also see Fig. 1, reference 330) on a continuous recording medium (Fig. 1, reference P); a conveyance unit configured to convey the continuous recording medium in a first direction ([0031], lines 1-4; also see Fig. 1, references 311, 312); a fixing unit configured to fix the image to the continuous recording medium by heating the image ([0033], lines 1-5; also see Fig. 1, reference 340); and an inspection unit configured to inspect the image fixed on the continuous recording medium by the fixing unit ([0035], lines 1-5; also see Fig. 1, reference 501), wherein the conveyance unit stops conveyance of the continuous recording medium based on a result of inspection of the image performed by the inspection unit ([0044], lines 1-3 and [0056], lines 3-5), wherein the conveyance unit rewinds the continuous recording medium in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the image reaches a predetermined position ([0044], lines 1-3 and [0030], lines 6-8). Yamamoto et al. are silent about the conveyance unit rewinding the continuous recording medium in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the image reaches a predetermined position, after a temperature of the fixing unit is lowered to a temperature lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature. Nakamura disclosed a recording apparatus (Fig. 1, reference 700), comprising a recording unit (Fig. 1, reference 300), configured to record an image on a continuous recording medium (Fig. 1, reference P), a conveying unit (Fig. 1, reference 310), and a fixing unit (Fig. 1, reference 340), wherein the conveyance unit rewinds the continuous recording medium in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the image reaches a predetermined position, after a temperature of the fixing unit is lowered to a temperature lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature ([0007], lines 1-6). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Nakamura with those of Yamamoto et al. by reducing the temperature of the fixing unit to a temperature lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature prior to conveying the recording medium in the reverse direction in order to prevent damage to the recording medium during the conveying of the recording medium in the reverse direction as disclosed by Nakamura in paragraph [0007]. 10. Regarding claim 2: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the inspection unit determines that the image corresponds to a failure, the conveyance unit rewinds the continuous recording medium in the second direction so that the image reaches the predetermined position (Yamamoto et al. [0030], lines 6-8). 11. Regarding claim 3: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records the image on the continuous recording medium based on a job received by the recording apparatus, the job including information related to the image (Yamamoto et al. [0067], line 1), and wherein in a case where the inspection unit determines the image to correspond to a failure in the job that includes information related to a plurality of images including the image, when a second image is being recorded, the second image being included in the job and to be recorded on the continuous recording medium after the image, the conveyance of the continuous recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped after the recording of the second image is finished (Yamamoto et al. [0059], lines 1-8; the conveyance of the continuous recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped after the recording of the second image is finished to determine whether the abnormality is repeated), the temperature of the fixing unit is lowered to a temperature lower than or equal to the predetermined temperature, and then the continuous recording medium is rewound in the second direction opposite to the first direction by the conveyance unit so that the image reaches the predetermined position (Yamamoto et al. [0030], lines 6-8 and Nakamura [0007], lines 1-6. Also see the rejection of Claim 1). 12. Regarding claim 4: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the recording of the second image included in the job and to be recorded on the continuous recording medium after the image is finished, after recording of all images included in the job is finished, the conveyance of the continuous recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped (Yamamoto et al. [0059], lines 1-8; the conveyance of the continuous recording medium by the conveyance unit is stopped after the recording of the second image is finished to determine whether the abnormality is repeated and/or after recording of all images included in the job is finished), the temperature of the fixing unit is lowered to a temperature lower than or equal to the predetermined temperature, the continuous recording medium is rewound in the second direction opposite to the first direction by the conveyance unit so that the image reaches the predetermined position (Yamamoto et al. [0030], lines 6-8 and Nakamura [0007], lines 1-6. Also see the rejection of Claim 1). 13. Regarding claim 5: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined temperature is a temperature at which the second image does not deteriorate when rewinding by the conveyance unit is stopped in a state in which the second image is within the fixing unit (Nakamura [0007], lines 1-3). 14. Regarding claim 6: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the inspection unit determines that the image corresponds to a failure, the continuous recording medium is rewound in the second direction opposite to the first direction by the conveyance unit (Yamamoto et al. [0030], lines 6-8), and then the image is re-recorded on the recording medium (Yamamoto et al. [0079], lines 4-6). 15. Regarding claim 7: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is a position enabling a user to visually inspect the image (Yamamoto et al. [0058], lines 2-4) . 07-22-aia AIA 16. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto et al. (US Pub. Nº 2019/0354054), in view of Nakamura (JP 2018-060135) as applied to claim s 1-7 above, and further in view of Satsukawa (JP 2011-126017) . 17. Regarding claim 8: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is a position enabling a user to visually inspect the image (Yamamoto et al. [0058], lines 1-4), and wherein in a case where the inspection unit determines that the image corresponds to a failure, the continuous recording medium is rewound in the second direction opposite to the first direction by the conveyance unit and undergoes a user’s visual inspection (Yamamoto et al. [0044], lines 1-3 and [0030], lines 6-8). The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura is silent about in a case where the user inputs to the recording apparatus a setting for not performing the re-recording, the re-recording is not performed. Satsukawa disclosed in a printing apparatus (Fig. 1, reference A), an operator panel (Fig. 1, reference OP) for a user to input a setting for not performing an image quality correction operation ([0041], lines 1-4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Satsukawa with those of the combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura by giving the user the possibility to override the re-recording of the image when there is very little degradation of the printed image, in order to avoid wasting printing resources . 07-22-aia AIA 18. Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto et al. (US Pub. Nº 2019/0354054), in view of Nakamura (JP 2018-060135) as applied to claim s 1-7 above, and further in view of Kikuchi et al. (US Pub. Nº 2011/0123203) . 19. Regarding claim 9: The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura disclosed the recording apparatus according to claim 1. The combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura is silent about wherein the recording unit includes: a first recording unit; and a second recording unit disposed downstream of the first recording unit in the first direction, and wherein the fixing unit includes: a first fixing unit configured to heat the image recorded by the first recording unit; and a second fixing unit configured to heat the image recorded by the second recording unit. Kikuchi et al. disclosed a recording apparatus (Fig. 9) comprising a first recording unit ([0007], lines 3-4; also see Fig. 9, reference 3 of printer P1); and a second recording unit disposed downstream of the first recording unit in the first direction ([0007], lines 3-4; also see Fig. 9, reference 3 of printer P2), and wherein the fixing unit includes: a first fixing unit configured to heat the image recorded by the first recording unit ([0009], line 3; also see Fig. 9, references (7, 8) of printer P1); and a second fixing unit configured to heat the image recorded by the second recording unit ([0009], line 3; also see Fig. 9, references (7, 8) of printer P2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kikuchi et al. with those of the combination of Yamamoto et al. and Nakamura by providing a second recording unit and a second fixing unit in order to support duplex printing as disclosed by Kikuchi et al. in paragraph [0005]. Conclusion 20. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YAOVI M. AMEH whose telephone number is (571)272-4578. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. 21. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. 22. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, RICARDO MAGALLANES can be reached at (571)272-5960. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. 23. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /YAOVI M AMEH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 2 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 3 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 4 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 5 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 6 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 7 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 8 Art Unit: 2853 Application/Control Number: 18/973,764 Page 9 Art Unit: 2853
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